All good things
by Master Kei
Summary: Not my happiest story, but a tribute all the same. Naruto and Hinata have split up, and Naruto takes this hard. Note- I actually prefer that the ones from cannon will last forever.


All Good Things...

_This story is quite different to my usual repetoire, in the sense that I normally write NaruHina rom-coms. But there is something this story shares with all the ones I have thus far written, and that is being inspired by true experiences. I should have written this one a few months back, but as readers will see upon finishing this story, my not doing so can quite understandably be forgiven._

I can't feel anything. No matter how much I am trying, my body just won't process the slightest bit of stimulus. This actually may be a good thing, as lately, I have been in no great hurry to have any sort of sensation- I prefer the opium-like numbness which shields me from the chain of recent events. Well, I say recent, but since it all started I must admit, I don't keep track of time very well. If I really had to think about it, it has probably been since half a year, maybe more. I really couldn't care less. I think I said this before, but I can't feel anything, and I am about to die...

**Half a Year Earlier **

Life is pretty good. Why do I say that? That's easy! For a start, I am earning enough money from missions to get by, which is always a good thing as I secretly do have to admit, even Ramen can start to get monotonous. Not that I only eat Ramen nowadays, oh no, not me! If I did, my sweetheart would probably get concerned, or angry, or probably both, and if there is something I really don't like doing, it's upsetting my dear Hinata-chan. Ever since we got together, I must say that I am so lucky to have such a kind-hearted and amazing girl in my life! And did I mention foxy? RRRRRROWWW! Heh heh, enough said about that, there's not enough that can be said about her in that department. But in all seriousness, she really helps me be a better person. For instance, when she suggested that I try eating healthier options, I daresay I was a little apprehensive.

_FlashBack _

_"Are you sure you are ok with this, Naruto -kun? I know I did say that I was a little tired of eating at Ichiraku-san's, but if you like it then I really don't mind." _

_"_ _Awww, you're so sweet Hinata! Thanks, but I insist. The best kunoichi in Fire Country, no, make that the world, shouldn't have to put up with someone else's picky habits. I _want_ to do this, not just for you, but for us! We're going to be together forever, and that's a long time to be eating just ramen!" _

_"Hehehe, alright, but take it slow ok? I don't want you to get sick like last time." She poked her tongue at me in just the cutest fashion. I wrapped my arms around her, inhaling that scent which I grew to associate with heaven on earth. _

_Grinning, I whispered,"That's ok, I'll just get my personal nurse to kiss me better. It works everytime." We were about to kiss, until an angry lady complained about us blocking the entrance. We apologised and moved to the side to pick up where we left off. When she was well away from ear shot, I mumbled in my sweetheart's ear, "I don't know what her problem was, she didn't look like she needed to eat all that soon, if you get my drift."_

_"Gasp. Naruto-kun! You shouldn't say that about people!" But I knew she thought the same thing, as she was smiled with me. _

_End Flashback _

I don't actually remember what we tried from the restaurant, but I can still recall every detail of the atmosphere. We were happy in each other's company, reassuring each other with a tenderness that I must admit, I have never been shown before. I sometimes just lost myself in her very presence, and everything we did was a funny, memmorable adventure. We went to all sorts of current attractions, tried all sorts of different cuisines, watched so many movies that the theatres actually gave us special deals, but most importantly, in my opinion, she showed me what it was like to have a routine place in the world around me. Not to sound sappy, but she really became the centre of my world. I didn't think of having anyone else, not even Sakura-chan, and in my mind we were going to be like this forever.

**It occured to me later, that maybe I jinxed it. All good things must come to an end, as the old saying goes. **

I suppose the trouble started when we got into fights more and more often. It wasn't about anything big, not usually anyway, but we still made a big deal out of it. I mean, sometimes I would act silly, but I didn't understand why she was giving me such a hard time. She started spending less and less time with me, as she was learning more about how to lead her Clan. Apparently, the Hyuugas don't know the meaning of the word "break-time". Ok, so maybe that was two words, big deal. My poor Hinata is probably overworked, and I am the one suffering for it! Well, fine then, I'll just give her some time to really focus on her clan duties. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Afterall, Sakura tells me that I need to be more considerate, and I don't see how giving someone more time for themselves is any but! Yeah, I'll just leave Hinata alone for a while, and then we can both get back to the way we used to be, once everything has been taken care of.

**When I look back at myself, I can't help but bitterly think, what an idiot I was... **

She got busier, and we were spending less time together than we already were. I was pretty annoyed, and I ended up concentrating on different things as well. Communication between us virtually stopped, as we both became too entangled by the webs of our own daily affairs to really care about the other. Not that I stopped loving her, just that I found myself less and less preoccupied with spending time with her. Afterall, I was accepting missions, and of course I was busy looking for Sasuke (his trail had been cold for the past year, but was suddenly picking up recently). He was so close, I knew I could find him this time! Everything seemed fine, but as I prepared to go on my journey, I sent Hinata a message, letting her know that I wanted to see her before going. I didn't get a reply right away, and thought that maybe she was still swamped by clan duties. However, I then recieved something which still makes me flinch: that final letter.

_Uzumaki Naruto, _

_It has been difficult to organise my feelings as of late, but now that I have I must tell you what I have come to understand about us, and that is that there is no longer an "us". Allow me to explain my reasoning. _

_I loved you for the person you were, a hard working and inexhaustible source of strength for me. You had a dream you were so determined to fufil, to become Hokage and show everyone what I saw in you. But lately, you've begun to change into a different sort of Naruto, and I am not sure that I can love him in the way that I loved the original. _

_Many times I have told you that as the future clan head, I am needed to be a person who answers to the clan as a whole, and not just to my own feelings. I also have a desire, to have a family and to be equally supported by my husband. I always thought that would be you, but now I am just not so sure..._

_I know you have been working on missions for the village, but my father and I heard from Tsunade-sama that you are always obsessed with Uchiha Sasuke. Apparently, you only accept missions which potentially lead to information concerning his whereabouts, and ignore many vital requests from powerful clients in the process. Your team mates for the missions you do agree to have also noted that, time and time again, you jeopardize the sucess of the group inorder to find out more about Uchiha-san. I couldn't believe it when I heard about it. _

_Another reason I have come to reconsider us is that you still refuse to take tutelage from Tsunade-sama about Konoha politics and Hokage duties. You say that you want to find Sasuke first, before you think about it. I can understand that Sasuke is very important to you, but you are throwing away everything for a traitor to Konoha. And, I feel that the next thing on that list of neglect is... me... _

_My father has made a decision, forbidding me to see you again. He does not see you as the Kyuubi, and neither do I, but he has told me that the Hyuuga accept only the strongest and most worthy into their midst. _

_I hope you can accept this. I am sorry if you can not. _

_-Hyuuga Hinata._

I didn't know how to respond at first, but my initial experience was of a force no other shinobi could ever hope to muster. Like my name-sake, my feelings were a literal maelstrom of hurt, anger, shock, sorrow, betrayal, but mostly pain. I was hollowed to the very core, yet filled with a raging, insatiable desire to obliterate everything which stood between me and my Hinata! It was a joke! it had to be! Someone's idea of a cruel and inhuman prank! Or maybe I was under a genjutsu illusion spell? No, many rigorous attempts to break genjustsu have confirmed what I just read as a reality. I just couldn't believe it... the best years of my life went by and were lost, just like that... I had lost the best thing to have ever happenned to me.

I didn't tell anybody about what had happenned, and I went on my mission as a shadow of a man. I couldn't focus on Sasuke, not with everything that had happenned. Naturally we didn't find anything. Why would we? We never did, after all these years, and yet here I was still playing wild goose chase. The mission was a failure, just like me, and after we reported the outcome to Tsunade-baachan, I just crawled to my little apartment, and collapsed onto my little bed. It seemed to me that all energy I had was gone. Sleep that night was constantly interrupted, my dreams restless almost as to parody my low key consciousness.

I needed to work, to spend my time engrossed in other things, anything! I just needed to distract myself from my situation. I spent practically everyday doing missions for the village. At first the superiors were pleased that I had changed my tune, but Tsunade's concerned medic personality caused her to give me a physical exam after it became clear that I didn't rest in-between missions. She questioned me about how i was doing on the inside, to which i automatically replied that I was doing fine. She did get angry when she found out, via inspection, that I hadn't been sleeping or eating properly, but how could I do either? Sleep brought me nothing but uneasy dreams, memmories of my happier times. As for food, well, I still ate ramen, that reliable and affordable product which had never let me down. But almost everything else reminded me of Her, and that was something I didn't want right now. So I politely told the Hokage that I would take better care of myself, without any intention of actually doing so.

**Current Point in Time/Start of Story**

I really should have taken better care of myself. If I had, then I would have been alert enough to avoid that trap set by a group of mad scientist ninja, who were trying to experiment on jinchuriki, people with demons sealed inside of them. Now, I was drugged up and barely conscious. If I wasn't so doped, maybe I would start to feel panicked, especially as they discussed dissecting me. Alive. I felt that this would be the end, and a part of me was glad.

Now, this may seem like odd timing, but before the madmen began slicing me open, with fevour much like the way Chouji rips open his bags of snacks, I tried to make my peace with everything that had happenned to me. They say that before you die, important images of your life will flash before you, this case being no exception. My precious people each took their turns, somehow showcasing our joint time. The last was Hinata's, and as I began to recall all of our adventures together, not to mention the time we spent as a couple, the Truth finally hit me! I really did begin to make sense as to why Hinata dumped me, as well as realising that she wasn't the type of person to do so maliciously. Suddenly, the jerk I was could no longer hide in the denial that I so desperately clung to, and I realised then that no matter how much I suffered in the past few months, my Hinata was most definately hurting as well. I was just selfish, for being angry with her for wanting to reach her goals. At the same time, I also began to understand that I really had become something different to who I used to be, to who I was when we first fell in love. We had simply gone through too much, shared so much together that I couldn't erase her from my life the way i had been trying for these month. I needed to make it out alive to tell her this, and as I was able to let flow these bottled feelings, my secondary chakra pathways began to reopen in quick sucession. Therefore, I did **not** get pulled apart from those twisted nerds, as my released mental state was no longer blocking the Kyuubi's chakra from circulating around my body. Hah! Time for these nerds to get taught a lesson from Naruto-sensei.

With my mission completed, I decided that it was about time I sent Hinata a message. I couldn't wait until I got to Konoha, so I used a courier service I encountered whilst stopping to rest. It seemed like a good idea at first, for I was busrting to tell her so many things! In the end, however, I realised that even though we had history, there really wasn't an "us" at present. Therefore, there wasn't too much that could be said between us anymore, at least not in the way that we used to. In the end, I decided to keep it short, but meaningful.

Dear Hinata,

How have you been? I hope you have been remembering to take good care of youself, for it won't do well for the Hyuuga if their leader falls ill.

I want to let you know that I respect your wishes, and harbour no ill will over your decision. We have shared so much between the other to simply ignore the each other. Please know that you will always be my dear friend, one of my precious people. And you know that I don't go back on my words, because that is **our** ninja way.

Platonic Love from,

Naruto.

PS- They say all good things must come to an end, but I hope you and I never do, no matter how different things may become.

As Hyuuga Hinata read the letter, she couldn't help but smile as nostalgic tears escaped her lavender eyes. She whispered to nobody in particular,

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Yes, all good things must come to an end, but more good things are waiting to begin."

**The End **

For the record, Naruto does not belong to me, and I am quite certain that Kishimoto will have him paired with Hinata eventually. Of course, unlike in my own story, they will stay together forever =]


End file.
